Part of the solution

If you need to find someone to do something, ask a busy person. 

This is the motto of Heather Atcherson, O.D., first vice president of the Maryland Optometric Association (MOA) and dedicated volunteer. 

A few years after finishing a residency out of state, Dr. Atcherson decided to move back home to Maryland. 

“My optometry school, Southern College of Optometry, did a fantastic job encouraging AOSA membership and highlighting the importance of the AOA, and I was even able to attend two Optometry's Meetings® while in school,” she recalls. “I immediately joined the MOA as a member once I received my license and started working.”  

To her, it wasn’t a question of “is it worth it to join?” The question was “who do I contact to join?” 

Dr. Atcherson shares how and why she has engaged as a member of the AOA and her state association—and why she recommends others do the same. 

“If there is something that you think could be done better, or an area that needs improvement, why not be a part of the solution? If you want to ensure your license continues to hold the same weight and value it has today, it is a constant battle to fight, and your help in our unified front is so important.” 

What motivated you to become a volunteer? 

In Maryland, we break our membership into five local societies based on location in the state. At my first dinner meeting with my local society, the society president approached me and asked if I had interest in getting more involved with the MOA. We had a fabulous Young OD Committee chair who was hoping to move out of her role and onto the Board of Directors (Dr. Vicky Wong is now our fearless MOA president!), and they were looking for a new graduate interested in taking over. I was social chair for my service sorority in college and co-president of the Omega Delta Social Fraternity at SCO, so it seemed right up my alley. I had a call with Dr. Wong and our executive director to get more information, and by the end of the year I was training and taking over as Young OD Committee chair.  

What committees do you serve on? What impact have you made/seen through these committees? 

I am currently a member of the Young OD Committee and the Membership Committee for the MOA and serve as the first vice president on the Board of Directors.  

I was the Young OD Committee chair for two years, and we worked really hard to create a strong, active chapter through social events such as going to TopGolf, virtual optometry trivia (during the COVID-19 pandemic), happy hours during our conventions, and Ugly-Sweater-themed parties during the holiday season. Having an outlet for new grads to interact, make relationships, network with both colleagues and industry representatives, and also have a safe space to vent when needed is huge.  

Our Membership Committee is always actively looking for ways to engage members as a whole and try to make the most of member benefits. We had a successful scope expansion in Maryland in 2020 and were able to use social media and webinars to help spread the word on the updates to the prescribing laws for membership across the board. We created an online member directory that is sent out to every member and lists all MOA member doctors by region, specialty, insurances accepted and contact information. We have added on billing services, legal services, and other in-state member benefits with discounts to our members.  

If a member does want to get involved, but isn’t sure how to start, what advice would you give them? 

The best part about agreeing to help or volunteer is it can be whatever amount of time is comfortable to you. It could be joining in a "White Coat Day" at your state Senate and House buildings. It could be listening in on your state association's board meetings to see what the current issues are and what you'd be interested in helping with. 

I would start by reaching out to your association's executive director or anyone on the Board of Directors and introduce yourself, share your background and let them know you may be interested in getting more involved. They will be able to give you information on the active committees in your association and where they could use more assistance.  

It is also good to know that agreeing to volunteer doesn't mean you're going to automatically become the association president and have hundreds of hours of volunteer time. Most of our committees meet for a one-hour Zoom meeting approximately once a quarter, so the commitment is very manageable. 

How do you balance work and your personal life—and still have time to volunteer? 

Some days, I'm not sure! I am co-owner of a single location, three doctor private practice, see patients 30 hours a week, have a very active 11-month-old child, and am the vice president for the MOA as well as a member of two committees. It sounds like a lot when you write it out, but faithfully putting things on the calendar makes staying on top of things much easier. State association duties get more intense around the time of our annual convention and/or any legislative scope battles, but the rest of the time, the tasks have reasonable deadlines and are manageable. I also still have time to boat, socialize with friends, travel and paint, believe it or not! 

What are some issues facing optometry that you are passionate about? What have you done to make a difference for optometry toward those issues? 

I heard "optometry is a legislated profession" more times than I could count while in optometry school but never really stopped to think about what that meant. Any change in our field is done through the legislative process. Want an expansion of your state's scope? A law must be passed or amended. Want to fight abusive insurance plan practices? It must come from legislation. For every group wanting to make a change, there is a group in opposition ready to fight against you. Most of the time, they are bigger and better funded, so the fight is always an uphill battle.  

Uphill means tough but not impossible. To make things happen, we need strength in numbers and good relationships with our legislators who will vote in our favor. This requires strong membership in your state and national associations. This requires your state working diligently to build face-to-face relationships with important legislators who will vote in our favor. This also requires monetary donations to the legislators' campaigns.  

I pay my dues every year in full. I donate yearly to my state MOA-PAC and national AOA-PAC. (Uncommonly known fact: dues money cannot be used to fund legislator campaigns, so donations to political action committee funds are also very important!) I attend White Coat Day in Annapolis and AOA on Capitol Hill every opportunity I get. I occasionally attend fundraisers for our local senators and representatives.  

The financial responsibility to pay your annual dues and donate to PAC is a small price to pay to protect your profession and your license. Adding in some volunteer time is also a huge help—but if you cannot commit your time, pay your dues and know there are a lot of people behind the scenes volunteering their time for the collective good of optometry.